Train passengers hit with biggest fare rise for five years as tickets rocket by £100 and protests planned around the UK

Consumer groups slam government for 'snubbing rail passengers' after average price rise of 3.4 per cent

By Neal Baker

2nd January 2018, 8:01 am

Updated: 3rd January 2018, 4:51 am

RAIL passengers have today been hit with the biggest fare rise in five years — as protests are planned across the country.

Commuters are being forced to fork out more than £100 extra a year as average ticket prices rose 3.4 per cent.

PA:Press Association

Campaigners protest against rail fare increases outside King's Cross station in London

PA:Press Association

Protests were organised at around 40 stations across the country against the increase in rail fares

Demonstrations are expected at around 40 railway stations to mark the biggest increase since 2013.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union will hand out chocolates to passengers in a bid to "sweeten the bitter pill" of the price increase.

Many season tickets have gone up by more than £100, including in Theresa May's constituency of Maidenhead, where an annual pass to London rose by £104 to £3,092.

Other commuter routes that are now more expensive include Liverpool to Manchester (up £108 to £3,152), Neath to Cardiff (up £56 to £1,708) and Elgin to Inverness (up £100 to £2,904).

PA:Press Association

Average train ticket prices have today risen by 3.4 per cent - the biggest in five years

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Passengers have been 'snubbed' by the government over pricing, according to consumer groups

Stephen Joseph, chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT), accused the Government of choosing to "snub rail passengers" by continuing to raise fares while fuel duty is frozen for a seventh consecutive year.

CBT figures show that average season tickets into London terminals have gone up by £146 this year, compared with £74 last January.

Mr Joseph said: "The extra money that season ticket holders will have to fork out this year is almost as much as drivers will save.

"That doesn't seem fair to us or the millions of people who commute by train, especially as wages continue to stagnate. What's good enough for motorists should be good enough for rail passengers."

PA:Press Association

Commuters facing packed, delayed and cancelled services are forking out more for their travel this year

The Government uses the previous July's Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation to determine increases in regulated fares - 3.6 per cent in 2017.

These are around half of all tickets and include season tickets on most commuter routes and some off-peak return tickets on long-distance journeys.

Train operating companies set the prices of other tickets but are bound by competition rules.

Bruce Williamson, of campaign group Railfuture, warned that "people are being priced out of getting to work".

He called for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation measure to be used for regulated fare increases.

It is normally lower than RPI and is used by the Government to set increases in benefits and pensions.

Mr Williamson said: "If CPI had been used instead of RPI since 2004, then rail fares would be 17% lower, a significant amount of money for season ticket holders who are spending thousands of pounds to get to work.

PA:Press Association

Which? said passengers will not understand price rises after a year of overcrowded, delayed and cancelled trains

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A Department for Transport spokesman said: "We are investing in the biggest modernisation of our railways since the Victorian times to improve services for passengers - providing faster and better, more comfortable trains with extra seats."

Alex Hayman, director of public markets at consumer group Which?, said: "This price rise is yet more bad news for passengers, many of whom have just come to the end of yet another year of cancellations, delays, overcrowding and poor service from train companies."

It comes as London Bridge station - one of the country's busiest - opened five new platforms today following a £1 billion redevelopment which began in 2013.

Rail commuters prepare for a 3.4% fare rise in 2018 on after 7m train passengers experienced delays in 2017

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